Monthly Archives: November 2016

Former Mayor David Dinkins appeared with current Mayor Bill de Blasio today, expressing great support and admiration for de Blasio although without expressly endorsing his reelection bid. de Blasio and his wife Chirlaine McCray met as young staffers in the Dinkins administration and they’ve long expressed their high regard for Dinkins, which Dinkins has reciprocated. Today’s appearance continued de Blasio’s rapid ramp up of his nascent 2017 reelection campaign, adding to the early union endorsements and appearances as he moves to publicly present a strong base of support.

Mayor Bill de Blasio spoke with the press this afternoon following his meeting with President-elect Donald Trump. de Blasio struck a reasonably conciliatory tone as he described presenting his views to Trump:

Thousands of anti-Trump protesters filled Fifth Avenue Saturday afternoon and evening, venting their anger and frustration at the election of Donald Trump. Converging marches from Union Square and Columbus Circle brought protesters to a stand-off with police just south of Trump Tower. There were a couple of minor scuffles between protesters and police, but no major trouble that I observed. Waving signs and chanting, the crowd’s contempt for Trump was unmistakable, expressed in signs ranging from angry to funny to earnest.

The annual memorial service marking the 2001 crash of American Airlines Flight #587 was held Saturday morning. Mayor Bill de Blasio joined attendees at the service, held at the memorial constructed just off the beach on Rockaway’s Beach 116th Street. The flight was headed from JFK to the Dominican Republic and the majority of those onboard were Dominican Americans and Dominican nationals. The crash also killed five people on the ground in Rockaway.

de Blasio was infamously late to the 2014 memorial service, his first as mayor. He missed the moment of silence, provoking a firestorm of criticism over his then-frequent tardiness to public events. This year, as in 2015, de Blasio arrived early and worked his way through the audience shaking hands, hugging and talking with attendees before the service began.

Mayor Bill de Blasio was the leading elected official at today’s New York City Veterans Day Parade, speaking at a pre-Parade ceremony in Madison Square Park and marching the full route. Governor Cuomo did not attend, and many City and State elected officials are in Puerto Rico at the Somos el Futuro conference.

de Blasio received a very positive reception, although there were some negative reactions from the crowd. An occasional boo or “one term mayor” refrain, often sotto voce, popped up as the Mayor passed by, but the crowd reaction was mostly applause and appreciation directed at the marchers.

Will President Obama grant a pardon to Hillary Clinton? Should he? It’s an outlandish idea in some ways, but there are substantial reasons that Obama may consider granting a pardon to Clinton.

U.S. presidents have an essentially unfettered Constitutional “power to grant reprieves and pardons for offenses against the United States,” not subject to review or reversal. Such a pardon can be for a specific offense or a blanket pardon for all federal crimes. (Note that a presidential pardon covers federal crimes; the president has no power concerning crimes under state laws.)

Mayor Bill de Blasio made a four borough GOTV swing today, visiting Brooklyn’s Medgar Evers College, Queens’ LaGuardia Community College, Manhattan’s Baruch College and the Bronx’s Hostos Community College. At Medgar Evers and Baruch de Blasio spoke to about 150-200 people at brief outdoor rallies. (I did not attend the LaGuardia or Hostos Community College appearances.)

There’s little in the way of competitive races within the City, so the Mayor’s GOTV effort won’t impact election outcomes. Instead, it’s an opportunity for the Mayor to limber up the campaign muscles with some positive visibility. (Curiously, however, the Mayor was accompanied by government staff rather than campaign staff.) Continue reading Photo Gallery: de Blasio GOTV (Updated)→